Celebrating the Unique History and Culture of Chicago's Uptown Community

October 15, 2010

Blessing of Cuneo Hospital, 750 Montrose at Clarendon, Chicago

This image is of particular interest to me, because I was born at Cuneo Hospital. Although we moved out to the suburbs when I was a wee toddler, I was born an Uptown Girl.

From ChicagoHospitals.info:

Beginnings

The first reference in the Chicago Tribune's Historical Index to this hospital appears on July 7, 1944. It notes a benefit by the ladies' auxiliary for the Frank Cuneo Memorial Hospital. It notes the hospital at Montrose and Clarendon Streets was endowed by the late Frank Cuneo

A Chicago Tribune article on July 23, 1944 notes a substantial addition to the hospital has been made by John F Cuneo, who donated an apartment building on the northwest corner of Montrose and Clarendon. This gave the hospital a block long frontage on Clarendon, between Montrose and Agatite

Part of the block of flats will be used for living quarters for the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred heart. Nurses, interns and the hospital chaplain will also live there.

The other wing of the apartment building will be utilized as a children's hospital. This would be the first Catholic children's hospital in the city of Chicago.
At closure

I was also born at Cuneo. Try calling the city clerk's office of vital statistics. I doubt medical records from that time exist anymore. You can always obtain an actual certified copy of your birth certificate from Springfield. I think the cost is around $15-20

I had an appendectomy at Cuneo when I was 9 years old. This was in 1955 or 1956, before the new building was built. It was a dark brick building (which I believe used to be an apartment building) that faced on Clarendon, but I don't know for sure if it was the corner building referenced in the second paragraph (under "Beginnings"). It probably was though.

I was born there in 1950. I have the certificate. Where was the original building. I think it was a block or so away from the newer one. Does anyone know if they practiced Thymus radiation on Newborns there?

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